Archives II

Mushy Pease

How
many of us can remember shelling peas for Mum.
Back in the days when the ice box reigned supreme, long before peas came
frozen in plastic bags, this was one of two ways to eat peas. The other was the dried pea which (as seen in
this month’s Trivia question) has been an integral part of the Australian diet since
the First Fleet. This is a time honoured method of making Mushy Peas.

225g
dried peas

1
tsp bicarbonate of soda

35g
butter

salt
freshly ground black pepper mushy peas.

Soak the peas in a large bowl, in three
times their volume of water with the bicarbonate of soda for at least four
hours or, if you have the time, overnight.

Drain the peas, rinse under the tap, and
place on the stove in a large pan and cover with the water. Cover and bring to
the boil and once boiled, remove all the foam,
reduce the heat and simmer the peas for 1½-2 hours, stirring from time to time.

The peas should be soft and mushy in
texture but not too dry. If they are wet, continue cooking over the heat with
the lid off to dry out a little. Beat in the butter and season.

—o0o—

That’s enough culinary culture for
now. Some time we may go a step further
with the “pea soup and pie floater” so popular in the “Café de Curb”.